“I wanted David Luiz here but he said he had a good offer from Chelsea and he wanted to leave. He knew my position, then he spoke with the club and he obtained his agreement.

“Today we have three central defenders and Serge Aurier can evolve into a central defender with a little work. He can help the team if needed.

“Silva is an important player for the team, a reference for the other players. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow but I will not take risks. We will not rush him.

“Marquinhos, Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria arrive [back from international duty] today. We will see how they are for tomorrow’s game.

“On the other hand, we take our decision for the four injured players: Aurier, Jese, Silva and Javier Pastore. Maxwell had a little pain and did not participate in training on Tuesday and Wednesday. But I want all players to be 100 per cent.

“Grzegorz Krychowiak is motivated and he wants to play, so that’s good. He will show his qualities when he returns.”